PAST DUE
By William Lashner
William Morrow/HarperCollins
www.harpercollins.com
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
ISBN: 0060508175
Hardback, 474 pages, $24.95
Genre: Mystery
Philadelphia lawyer Victor Carl is broke, as usual, and his father is lying in a hospital bed near death. Victor’s client Joey “Cheaps” Parma seeks Victor’s advice about a murder he was involved in 20 years before of Thomas Greeley, a law student/drug kingpin. Soon after his confession, Joey’s body is found on the waterfront, with his throat slit. Victor, always defender of the underdog, knows the police won’t put too much effort into finding Joey’s killer, so Victor commits to finding out why Joey was murdered. His investigation leads him back to Joey’s youth, and on to the people surrounding Thomas Greeley, including a present Supreme Court jurist and his eccentric wife and her life journals which hold the secret behind Joey’s death.
Victor Carl is perhaps the best character written today. His self-deprecating comments, inner turmoil, and reflections reveal a man whose demons from the past influence his present-day life. The relationship with his father, previously tumultuous, is now mellowing as his father’s health deteriorates. Lashner delivers intriguing characters with real depth and dimension. Victor Carl’s introspections are insightful and well-delivered and simply eloquent. The plot is a twisty one, and the read lengthier than most mysteries, but well worth the time.
Monday, February 2, 2009
PAST DUE
PAST DUE
By William Lashner
William Morrow/HarperCollins
www.harpercollins.com
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
ISBN: 0060508175
Hardback, 474 pages, $24.95
Genre: Mystery
Philadelphia lawyer Victor Carl is broke, as usual, and his father is lying in a hospital bed near death. Victor’s client Joey “Cheaps” Parma seeks Victor’s advice about a murder he was involved in 20 years before of Thomas Greeley, a law student/drug kingpin. Soon after his confession, Joey’s body is found on the waterfront, with his throat slit. Victor, always defender of the underdog, knows the police won’t put too much effort into finding Joey’s killer, so Victor commits to finding out why Joey was murdered. His investigation leads him back to Joey’s youth, and on to the people surrounding Thomas Greeley, including a present Supreme Court jurist and his eccentric wife and her life journals which hold the secret behind Joey’s death.
Victor Carl is perhaps the best character written today. His self-deprecating comments, inner turmoil, and reflections reveal a man whose demons from the past influence his present-day life. The relationship with his father, previously tumultuous, is now mellowing as his father’s health deteriorates. Lashner delivers intriguing characters with real depth and dimension. Victor Carl’s introspections are insightful and well-delivered and simply eloquent. The plot is a twisty one, and the read lengthier than most mysteries, but well worth the time.
By William Lashner
William Morrow/HarperCollins
www.harpercollins.com
10 East 53rd Street
New York, NY 10022
ISBN: 0060508175
Hardback, 474 pages, $24.95
Genre: Mystery
Philadelphia lawyer Victor Carl is broke, as usual, and his father is lying in a hospital bed near death. Victor’s client Joey “Cheaps” Parma seeks Victor’s advice about a murder he was involved in 20 years before of Thomas Greeley, a law student/drug kingpin. Soon after his confession, Joey’s body is found on the waterfront, with his throat slit. Victor, always defender of the underdog, knows the police won’t put too much effort into finding Joey’s killer, so Victor commits to finding out why Joey was murdered. His investigation leads him back to Joey’s youth, and on to the people surrounding Thomas Greeley, including a present Supreme Court jurist and his eccentric wife and her life journals which hold the secret behind Joey’s death.
Victor Carl is perhaps the best character written today. His self-deprecating comments, inner turmoil, and reflections reveal a man whose demons from the past influence his present-day life. The relationship with his father, previously tumultuous, is now mellowing as his father’s health deteriorates. Lashner delivers intriguing characters with real depth and dimension. Victor Carl’s introspections are insightful and well-delivered and simply eloquent. The plot is a twisty one, and the read lengthier than most mysteries, but well worth the time.
LETTING GO: AN ORDINARY WOMAN'S EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY OF HEALING & TRANSFORMATION
LETTING GO
AN ORDINARY WOMAN’S EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY
OF HEALING & TRANSFORMATION
by Nancy A. Kaiser
Visual Impressions Publishing
80 Merrie Way
Waynesville, NC 28786
www.visualimpressionspublishing.com
ISBN: 9780981463323
Tradeback, 348 pages, $21.95
Genre: Memoir/Self-Help
With five short words (“I never wanted this house”), Nancy Kaiser’s world came to a screeching halt. Nancy and her husband Bob had retired to North Carolina, where they planned to build their dream home on a mountain they chose as their special place. Before the house was finished, Bob said these words to Nancy, and from that point on, her world tilted and her life became off-balance. Alone, six hundred miles from family and friends, nothing seemed to go right for Nancy. On her own, she had to face the deaths of dear friends and beloved animal companions, as well as problems which kept cropping up with the house she moved into, all while dealing with the trauma of divorcing her husband.
Although the title describes Nancy as an “ordinary woman”, perhaps a more appropriate nomenclature would be an exceptional person in tune with nature who not only understands the connection between animals and humans but is able to communicate with animals. A woman dedicated to finding her center through spiritual and cerebral means, pitting ego against soul, learning to love herself, trust her decisions, and focus on the positive instead of the negative. This outstanding book leads the reader through Nancy’s soul-searching journey of transformation, from a woman filled with anger and rage and negativity to one who is at peace with herself and her feelings and has learned to let go of the things she cannot control. The reader will feel Nancy’s pain as she struggles and rejoice with her as she begins to progress toward her life’s goal. The lessons learned in this book are of great significance and will gift the reader with a better understanding of “self”. Highly recommended.
AN ORDINARY WOMAN’S EXTRAORDINARY JOURNEY
OF HEALING & TRANSFORMATION
by Nancy A. Kaiser
Visual Impressions Publishing
80 Merrie Way
Waynesville, NC 28786
www.visualimpressionspublishing.com
ISBN: 9780981463323
Tradeback, 348 pages, $21.95
Genre: Memoir/Self-Help
With five short words (“I never wanted this house”), Nancy Kaiser’s world came to a screeching halt. Nancy and her husband Bob had retired to North Carolina, where they planned to build their dream home on a mountain they chose as their special place. Before the house was finished, Bob said these words to Nancy, and from that point on, her world tilted and her life became off-balance. Alone, six hundred miles from family and friends, nothing seemed to go right for Nancy. On her own, she had to face the deaths of dear friends and beloved animal companions, as well as problems which kept cropping up with the house she moved into, all while dealing with the trauma of divorcing her husband.
Although the title describes Nancy as an “ordinary woman”, perhaps a more appropriate nomenclature would be an exceptional person in tune with nature who not only understands the connection between animals and humans but is able to communicate with animals. A woman dedicated to finding her center through spiritual and cerebral means, pitting ego against soul, learning to love herself, trust her decisions, and focus on the positive instead of the negative. This outstanding book leads the reader through Nancy’s soul-searching journey of transformation, from a woman filled with anger and rage and negativity to one who is at peace with herself and her feelings and has learned to let go of the things she cannot control. The reader will feel Nancy’s pain as she struggles and rejoice with her as she begins to progress toward her life’s goal. The lessons learned in this book are of great significance and will gift the reader with a better understanding of “self”. Highly recommended.
WEATHER OF THE HEART: A CHILD'S JOURNEY OUT OF RELUTIONARY RUSSIA
WEATHER OF THE HEART
A CHILD’S JOURNEY OUT OF REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA
By Nora Lourie Percival
High Country Publishers LLD
Boone, NC
ISBN: 0971304599
Tradeback, 360 pages, $19.95
Genre: Memoir
Nora Percival began her life as a pampered, well-loved child in Samara, Russia, on the banks of the Volga River. Her father was a businessman, her mother a talented pianist. Her early years were fun and happy, and Nora was a bubbly, curious child. Soon, though, upheaval overtook her life with the advent of the Russian Revolution. Nora’s father, targeted by the Communist regime, escaped to America, leaving behind Nora and her mother, a woman in fragile health who suffered from depression. The two were forced to move in with Nora’s grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins in a small apartment, where food and heat were scarce. Everyone, from the wealthy to the poorest, suffered during this time. Starvation was rampant and Nora’s family became alarmed when first small domestic animals disappeared, then small children. Nora’s father finally managed to get funds to the family, and eventually Nora and her mother sailed to America. But Nora’s mother’s homesickness sent them back across the ocean, only as far as England, where Nora’s mother was hospitalized and Nora ended up first in a work house, then in a hostel for transmigrates, where she anxiously awaited word from her father and longed to be back in America.
What an interesting, wonderful story. Nora is a prodigious child who learns to read at an early age and teaches herself English. Her effervescent personality shines throughout the book, and one feels sorrow for such a young girl forced to live in horrific depravity, while taking on adult responsibilities and caring for her mother, whose depression never lessens. Percival excels at drawing the reader into her story with rich descriptives and prolific insight enmeshed within a period of history that is as fascinating as it is tragic. Historic buffs will appreciate a first-hand look at the events leading up to the Russian Revolution as well as those during and after. Excellent book. Highly recommended.
A CHILD’S JOURNEY OUT OF REVOLUTIONARY RUSSIA
By Nora Lourie Percival
High Country Publishers LLD
Boone, NC
ISBN: 0971304599
Tradeback, 360 pages, $19.95
Genre: Memoir
Nora Percival began her life as a pampered, well-loved child in Samara, Russia, on the banks of the Volga River. Her father was a businessman, her mother a talented pianist. Her early years were fun and happy, and Nora was a bubbly, curious child. Soon, though, upheaval overtook her life with the advent of the Russian Revolution. Nora’s father, targeted by the Communist regime, escaped to America, leaving behind Nora and her mother, a woman in fragile health who suffered from depression. The two were forced to move in with Nora’s grandparents, aunts, uncle, and cousins in a small apartment, where food and heat were scarce. Everyone, from the wealthy to the poorest, suffered during this time. Starvation was rampant and Nora’s family became alarmed when first small domestic animals disappeared, then small children. Nora’s father finally managed to get funds to the family, and eventually Nora and her mother sailed to America. But Nora’s mother’s homesickness sent them back across the ocean, only as far as England, where Nora’s mother was hospitalized and Nora ended up first in a work house, then in a hostel for transmigrates, where she anxiously awaited word from her father and longed to be back in America.
What an interesting, wonderful story. Nora is a prodigious child who learns to read at an early age and teaches herself English. Her effervescent personality shines throughout the book, and one feels sorrow for such a young girl forced to live in horrific depravity, while taking on adult responsibilities and caring for her mother, whose depression never lessens. Percival excels at drawing the reader into her story with rich descriptives and prolific insight enmeshed within a period of history that is as fascinating as it is tragic. Historic buffs will appreciate a first-hand look at the events leading up to the Russian Revolution as well as those during and after. Excellent book. Highly recommended.
THE VANISHED MAN
THE VANISHED MAN
By Jeffery Deaver
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0743222008
Hardback, 399 pages, $25.00 US
Genre: Mystery
A music school student is murdered and the killer flees into a locked classroom with no way out. When the police break down the door, the killer has vanished. Criminalist Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs are called in to investigate. It doesn’t take them long to figure out the police were duped by the killer, whom they name “the conjurer” due to his magical feats in escaping. The conjurer leads the police on a meandering investigation as he continues on his killing spree, leaving behind bits of evidence which they eventually learn are clues to deliberately misdirect them. Rhyme can’t help but be impressed by the conjurer’s skills at illusion and magic. With the aid of Kara, a student illusionist, Rhyme and Sachs attempt to catch their killer through their own planned misdirections.
Deaver writes an exceptional series with outstanding characters. Rhyme is a brilliant man frustrated with his physical disability who relies on Sachs’s skills at gathering evidence and investigating onsite. The two make for one powerful team, aided by detectives within the New York Police Department. Kara is an intriguing character, a young woman talented in magic who despairs over the mental health of her mother and sacrifices much for her welfare. As always, deeper, underlying layers of Rhyme’s and Sachs’s personas are subtly unveiled. Deaver leads the reader through a complicated mystery, filled with twists and turns, the final one which the reader won’t see coming.
By Jeffery Deaver
Simon & Schuster
1230 Avenue of the Americas
New York, NY 10020
ISBN: 0743222008
Hardback, 399 pages, $25.00 US
Genre: Mystery
A music school student is murdered and the killer flees into a locked classroom with no way out. When the police break down the door, the killer has vanished. Criminalist Lincoln Rhyme and his partner Amelia Sachs are called in to investigate. It doesn’t take them long to figure out the police were duped by the killer, whom they name “the conjurer” due to his magical feats in escaping. The conjurer leads the police on a meandering investigation as he continues on his killing spree, leaving behind bits of evidence which they eventually learn are clues to deliberately misdirect them. Rhyme can’t help but be impressed by the conjurer’s skills at illusion and magic. With the aid of Kara, a student illusionist, Rhyme and Sachs attempt to catch their killer through their own planned misdirections.
Deaver writes an exceptional series with outstanding characters. Rhyme is a brilliant man frustrated with his physical disability who relies on Sachs’s skills at gathering evidence and investigating onsite. The two make for one powerful team, aided by detectives within the New York Police Department. Kara is an intriguing character, a young woman talented in magic who despairs over the mental health of her mother and sacrifices much for her welfare. As always, deeper, underlying layers of Rhyme’s and Sachs’s personas are subtly unveiled. Deaver leads the reader through a complicated mystery, filled with twists and turns, the final one which the reader won’t see coming.
NEVER TELL A LIE
NEVER TELL A LIE
By Hallie Ephron
William Morrow/Harper Collins
10 East 53rd St.
New York, NY 10022
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN: 9780061567155
Hardback, 288 pages, $24.95 US
Genre: Suspense
High school sweethearts Ivy and David Rose are married, living in their dream home and expecting their first child. Ivy’s hormones are raging and she’s in the mood to clean house so the couple clear out their attic and hold a yard sale. Melinda White, a former classmate from high school, unexpectedly shows up, looking as pregnant as Ivy. David and Ivy don’t recognize her at first, but when they do, remember her as the oddball who never seemed to fit in. Melinda’s strange behavior unnerves Ivy, so David offers to show Melinda their house, and from that point, Melinda disappears. When her blouse and pants are found in a trunk sitting on the Rose’s curb waiting for garbage disposal, David becomes the prime suspect since he was the last one seen with Melinda. At every turn, more evidence turns up against David and he’s placed under arrest. In Ivy’s search to find out what really happened to Melinda, she discovers some unexpected secrets leading back to their high school years.
Although the plot is predictable, this well-written suspense holds the reader’s attention. However, at times, the mannerisms of Ivy and her best friend Jody seem immature and the two are not that likeable. Ivy’s past behavior, along with Jody’s, tended to be bullying, and Ivy seems oblivious to anyone outside her world. Although the beginning tends to lag, the book picks up speed and by the end delivers the suspense it promises.
By Hallie Ephron
William Morrow/Harper Collins
10 East 53rd St.
New York, NY 10022
www.harpercollins.com
ISBN: 9780061567155
Hardback, 288 pages, $24.95 US
Genre: Suspense
High school sweethearts Ivy and David Rose are married, living in their dream home and expecting their first child. Ivy’s hormones are raging and she’s in the mood to clean house so the couple clear out their attic and hold a yard sale. Melinda White, a former classmate from high school, unexpectedly shows up, looking as pregnant as Ivy. David and Ivy don’t recognize her at first, but when they do, remember her as the oddball who never seemed to fit in. Melinda’s strange behavior unnerves Ivy, so David offers to show Melinda their house, and from that point, Melinda disappears. When her blouse and pants are found in a trunk sitting on the Rose’s curb waiting for garbage disposal, David becomes the prime suspect since he was the last one seen with Melinda. At every turn, more evidence turns up against David and he’s placed under arrest. In Ivy’s search to find out what really happened to Melinda, she discovers some unexpected secrets leading back to their high school years.
Although the plot is predictable, this well-written suspense holds the reader’s attention. However, at times, the mannerisms of Ivy and her best friend Jody seem immature and the two are not that likeable. Ivy’s past behavior, along with Jody’s, tended to be bullying, and Ivy seems oblivious to anyone outside her world. Although the beginning tends to lag, the book picks up speed and by the end delivers the suspense it promises.
IT HAPPENS IN THREES
IT HAPPENS IN THREES
By Denise Robbins
L&L Dreamspell
P.O. Box 1984
Friendswood, TX 77549
www.lldreamspell.com
ISBN: 9781603180863
Paperback, 308 pages, $18.95
Genre: Romantic suspense
In one day, Ruby Goodman loses her job and finds her fiancé in bed with another woman. Ruby’s philosophy being everything bad happens in threes, she escapes to her family’s vacation home in Key Largo to await the next disaster in her life. There, she runs into her high school sweetheart, Michael Auguston, the man who’s broken her heart twice before and seems intent on doing so again. Michael works for a government agency and is dealing with his partner’s betrayal while gearing up to go after Nicholas LaRue, a Frenchman who hides his illicit involvement in money laundering under the guise of a computer security consulting firm. When Michael learns Ruby, an expert hacker, was mentored by LaRue, he brings her into his investigation. The two head to Hawaii, with the intention of hiring LaRue to consult for Michael’s imaginary business while Ruby breaks into LaRue’s system and tracks his funds. Instead, Michael and Ruby are drawn into danger from a source neither one expects.
It Happens in Threes is packed with scorching romance, nail-biting suspense, and nonstop action. The chemistry between Ruby and Michael sizzles and Robbins gives the reader quite the tease along with a lot of fun as she adroitly brings Michael and Ruby together only to pull them apart through their own misperceptions. The characters are engaging, from the sensual Ruby to hot-tempered Michael to the deliciously evil yet debonair LaRue. The story moves at a fast pace and keeps the reader entertained throughout. Consider this book one rollicking good read.
By Denise Robbins
L&L Dreamspell
P.O. Box 1984
Friendswood, TX 77549
www.lldreamspell.com
ISBN: 9781603180863
Paperback, 308 pages, $18.95
Genre: Romantic suspense
In one day, Ruby Goodman loses her job and finds her fiancé in bed with another woman. Ruby’s philosophy being everything bad happens in threes, she escapes to her family’s vacation home in Key Largo to await the next disaster in her life. There, she runs into her high school sweetheart, Michael Auguston, the man who’s broken her heart twice before and seems intent on doing so again. Michael works for a government agency and is dealing with his partner’s betrayal while gearing up to go after Nicholas LaRue, a Frenchman who hides his illicit involvement in money laundering under the guise of a computer security consulting firm. When Michael learns Ruby, an expert hacker, was mentored by LaRue, he brings her into his investigation. The two head to Hawaii, with the intention of hiring LaRue to consult for Michael’s imaginary business while Ruby breaks into LaRue’s system and tracks his funds. Instead, Michael and Ruby are drawn into danger from a source neither one expects.
It Happens in Threes is packed with scorching romance, nail-biting suspense, and nonstop action. The chemistry between Ruby and Michael sizzles and Robbins gives the reader quite the tease along with a lot of fun as she adroitly brings Michael and Ruby together only to pull them apart through their own misperceptions. The characters are engaging, from the sensual Ruby to hot-tempered Michael to the deliciously evil yet debonair LaRue. The story moves at a fast pace and keeps the reader entertained throughout. Consider this book one rollicking good read.
FEARLESS FOURTEEN
FEARLESS FOURTEEN
By Janet Evanovich
St. Martin’s Press
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
ISBN: 9780312349516
Hardback, 310 pages, $27.95
Number fourteen in the Stephanie Plum series finds Stephanie still embroiled in her triangular relationship with cop Joe Morelli and security expert/mystery-man Ranger. Morelli’s cousin, Dom Rizzi, has just been released from prison for robbing a bank with three other men, and escaping with nine million dollars. The money has never been found and rumor has it Rizzi hid the money and has returned to Trenton to claim it. Word gets out that Rizzi buried the money on Morelli’s property and people start digging up the yard and breaking in. Stephanie becomes involved when Rizzi’s sister, Loretta, misses her court date and Stephanie needs to take her in to be rebonded. But Loretta mysteriously disappears and Stephanie’s stuck with her son, Mario, who goes by the name Zook and is a serious gamer. One of Rizzi’s partners is holding Loretta hostage for the nine million dollars and it falls to Stephanie to try to find the money and rescue Loretta.
Two things this reader can always count on from Evanovich: humorous scenes and wacky characters. Fearless Fourteen does not disappoint in this regard. All those wonderful zany characters are back, including Lula, who manages to convince Tank he asked her to marry him and is now heavily involved in planning a June wedding. Stephanie continues to be unable to make up her mind between Morelli and Ranger, and Grandma Mazur is now one serious gamer when she isn’t going to viewings at the funeral home. The plot is fun and the humor comes at the reader fast and heavy, which makes the read all that more enjoyable.
By Janet Evanovich
St. Martin’s Press
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
ISBN: 9780312349516
Hardback, 310 pages, $27.95
Number fourteen in the Stephanie Plum series finds Stephanie still embroiled in her triangular relationship with cop Joe Morelli and security expert/mystery-man Ranger. Morelli’s cousin, Dom Rizzi, has just been released from prison for robbing a bank with three other men, and escaping with nine million dollars. The money has never been found and rumor has it Rizzi hid the money and has returned to Trenton to claim it. Word gets out that Rizzi buried the money on Morelli’s property and people start digging up the yard and breaking in. Stephanie becomes involved when Rizzi’s sister, Loretta, misses her court date and Stephanie needs to take her in to be rebonded. But Loretta mysteriously disappears and Stephanie’s stuck with her son, Mario, who goes by the name Zook and is a serious gamer. One of Rizzi’s partners is holding Loretta hostage for the nine million dollars and it falls to Stephanie to try to find the money and rescue Loretta.
Two things this reader can always count on from Evanovich: humorous scenes and wacky characters. Fearless Fourteen does not disappoint in this regard. All those wonderful zany characters are back, including Lula, who manages to convince Tank he asked her to marry him and is now heavily involved in planning a June wedding. Stephanie continues to be unable to make up her mind between Morelli and Ranger, and Grandma Mazur is now one serious gamer when she isn’t going to viewings at the funeral home. The plot is fun and the humor comes at the reader fast and heavy, which makes the read all that more enjoyable.
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